Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle smiles on 'Fortune's Favor'
print
email
The members of Great Big Sea feel fortunate to been able to make a living translating the traditional folk songs of their region--the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador--into rock numbers. It's a sentiment the group expresses in the title of its latest album "Fortune's Favor."
"The title comes from one of the songs, 'England,'" lead singer Alan Doyle said during a phone interview from his Newfoundland home. "It's basically an expression of luck. We feel fortunate to be able to do this for a decade and a half. A lot of the songs that are on the record kind of express our contentment and our general acknowledgment of good fortune.
"We've done our share of work, but a lot of bands that have worked hard, for whatever reason, have collapsed under its own weight for one reason or another. We've been lucky to have fans who have supported us for such a long time."
Fans throughout the United States will be able to see Great Big Sea on its major US tour, which kicks off tonight. For the itinerary, see below.
"It's been steadily growing for a decade or so that we've been playing there," Doyle said about US audiences. "Everywhere we've played, it's always grown steadily. The momentum of it has been very rewarding, to be honest. The last tour that we did for the last record was the first time the US passed Canada in ticket sales and stuff so it's very, very thrilling and very exciting."
In concert, Great Big Sea plays a "mixed bag" of hits and deep cuts, changing its set list every night.
"We're not a band that has a pile of choreography or loops," Doyle said. "We have an interactive kind of night. The tradition of music here at Newfoundland where we're from is very inclusive. It's not like a recital where you envy a virtuoso. It's more like the best singer is the guy who gets the most people to sing along. The best accordion player is the guy who fills the dance floor the most often. Music is about a celebration and making it a great night."
August 2008
15 - Buffalo, NY - Buffalo Rocks the Harbor
16 - Akron, OH - Lock 3 Live
17 - Philadelphia, PA - Philly Folk Fest
19 - Edgartown, MA - Outerland (Martha's Vineyard)
21 - Rehoboth, Delaware - Bottle and Cork (Dewey Beach)
22 - Vienna, VA - Wolftrap
30 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Halifax Commons
September 2008
9 - London, Ontario - Western Fair
10 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theatre
11 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
12 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
13 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Celtic Fest
14 - Indianapolis, IN - Music Mill
16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
17 - Columbus, OH - Southern Theatre
18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Byham Theatre
19 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
20 - Albany, NY - Irish Fest
October 2008
1 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
2 - San Francisco, CA - Palace Theatre
3 - Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
4 - Santa Barbara, CA - Lobero Theatre
5 - San Luis Obispo, CA - Cal Poly Tech Theatre
7 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
8 - Albuquerque, NM - El Ray Theatre
9 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
10 - Murray, UT - Murray Theatre
11 - Boise, ID - Egyptian Theatre
12 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre
22 - Rochester, NY - German House
23 - Keene, NH - The Colonial Theatre
24 - Boston, MA - The Orpheum
26 - Charlotte, NC - Dana Auditorium
28 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
29 - Raleigh, NC - Fletcher Theatre
30 - South Orange, NJ - South Orange PAC
31 - Burlington, VT - Flynn Theatre
November 2008
1 - Portland, ME - Merrill Auditorium
2 - Lebanon, NH - Opera House
17 - Kingston, Ontario - K-Rock Centre
18 - Barrie, Ontario - Barrie Molson Centre
19 - Hamilton, Ontario - Hamilton Place
20 - Kitchener, Ontario - Kitchener Memorial Auditorium
22 - Oshawa, Ontario - General Motors Centre
26 - Thunder Bay, Ontario - Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
27 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
28 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - TCU Place
29 - Regina, Saskatchewan - Conexus Arts Centre
30 - Edmonton, Alberta - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
December 2008
1 - Calgary, Alberta - Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
3, 4 - Vancouver, British Columbia - The Centre for Performing Arts
Great Big Sea tickets at Ticketmaster
Great Big Sea ringtones at ThumbplayGreat Big Sea to spread more 'Fortune' on the road [June 2009]
LiveDaily News Break Podcast, August 12: ZZ Top, Great Big Sea, tobyMac and more [August 2008]
Barenaked Ladies Return To High Seas [June 2008]
Great Big Sea adds new leg to headlining run [August 2008]
Canada's Great Big Sea touches on the US [June 2008]
